Actress Kate del Castillo has said she is suing former Mexican officials for 60 million dollars (£47 million) in “moral and material damages” because of what she calls “political persecution” against her.

Actress Kate del Castillo has said she is suing former Mexican officials for 60 million dollars (£47 million) in “moral and material damages” because of what she calls “political persecution” against her.

She was never charged but claims that prosecutors leaked information that damaged her reputation.

Members of the press cover a press conference by Kate del Castillo in Mexico City (Marco Ugarte/AP)

Del Castillo arranged the meeting because she was considering doing a documentary or film about Guzman’s life, but said she currently has no plans to pursue such a project.

She also said at a news conference in Mexico that she is no longer in touch with Penn and believes he betrayed her.

The actress said “Sean Penn apparently helped in the location and detention” of Guzman, now on trial in New York.

Del Castillo also said: “I was not aware of that situation, and that is why I have always referred to it as betrayal.”

Sean Penn (Anthony Devlin/PA)

“He behaved very badly because he didn’t protect me and put my life at risk,” said del Castillo, who implied she would like to kick the American actor in the groin.

Del Castillo accuses prosecutors in the administration of former president Enrique Pena Nieto of leaking information that suggested she might be linked to drug trafficking or sentimentally connected to Guzman, something she said cost her acting work.

She remained away from her home country of Mexico for years because of concerns about investigations, but returned to spend Christmas with her family.

Del Castillo said she hopes “that things go incredibly well for the administration headed by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador”, who took office on December 1.